In this insightful interview, I chat with Sergio, a Senior Program Manager at Airbnb, as he shares his wealth of knowledge and experience on what it takes to excel as a program manager in the tech industry.

We delve into a wide range of topics including the core responsibilities of a program manager, the difference between a program manager and a product manager, and what a typical day looks like for a Senior program manager at Airbnb.

Sergio also provides valuable tips on working effectively with many stakeholders, creating an operating system for your team, running meetings effectively, navigating team dependencies, building relationships and networking, note-taking and documentation, and much more.

Check out Sergio's podcast here: https://thefreeretiree.com/

We hope you enjoy it and learn something new!

Table of Contents
0:00 Intro
0:47 Sergio’s Background
1:51 What are the core responsibilities of a program manager at a tech company?
3:13 What is the difference between a program manager and a product manager?
5:07 What does a typical day look like for a Senior program manager at Airbnb?
9:23 Tips around working well with many stakeholders
11:07 Creating an Operating System (OS) for your team
11:30 The importance of “why”
13:30 Quality program management & running meetings effectively
14:25 Why agendas are important for effective meetings
15:09 Why preparing for meetings matters
17:09 Navigating team dependencies
17:47 Building relationships & networking
19:10 Note-taking, following-up, and documentation
19:57 Pro Tip: Creating a running doc of meetings and action items for your team
21:06 Resource: “The Free Retiree Show” podcast
21:21 Checklist and advice navigating layoffs & finding job opportunities during an economic slowdown
27:08 Using LinkedIn to find your next job after a layoff
29:30 Job interviewing tips - Practice makes perfect!
30:30 Sergio’s Secret Sauce: Walkthrough of how to prepare for interviews and successfully negotiate an offer at Airbnb
31:37 Step 1: Conduct deep research on the company and job role
32:17 Step 2: Research the person that is interviewing you, and tips on breaking the ice within 30 seconds to build a relationship with the recruiter
35:53 Step 3: The most important interview - tips on meeting with a Hiring Manager
38:02 Great examples of questions to ask a Hiring Manager during an interview
40:27 Step 4: Advice on Virtual Onsite Interviews: Highlight your relationship-building skills & tailor your responses for each team member/function you meet with
43:40 BONUS: Airbnb’s culture and values interview
45:43 Step 5: Navigating Salary Negotiations - levels.fyi, understanding your baseline
47:55 4 Components/Levers of a Compensation Package
48:56 Get clarity early on in the interview process on salary expectations
49:32 Pro Tip: Always opportunity to negotiate - don’t take the first offer
50:24 Getting a sign-on bonus by communicating why you are asking for more
51:16 What is managing up and why it is important for advancing in your career and getting promoted?
55:39 What has been critical to Sergio’s career success in the tech industry?
57:26 Closing remarks: All of our careers are an adventure - embrace the adventure and say YES to opportunity!

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